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The piano tuner
560 pages
A sweeping, atmospheric journey from a quiet London life into a lush, mysterious world where music becomes a tool for peace.
What it feels like
This sweeping historical novel unfolds with a meandering, immersive pace, inviting readers to leave the quiet predictability of the familiar behind and embark on a richly textured journey. The narrative feels lush and atmospheric, steeped in the enchanting mysteries of distant lands and the delicate intricacies of music. As the protagonist travels from the comforts of London through a tapestry of encounters with mystics, bandits, and talespinners, the mood shifts from reflective to increasingly dangerous and alluring. The prose is evocative, capturing both the sweeping landscapes of the journey and the quiet, unorthodox power of art as a tool for peace. It is a perfect read for those who devour historical fiction that balances grand adventure with deep, atmospheric introspection.
- Mood
- lush
- mysterious
- enchanting
- adventurous
- Tone
- atmospheric
- reflective
- earnest
- mysterious
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- the unifying power of art · leaving the familiar behind · unorthodox peacemaking · the allure of the unknown · colonial encounters
- The writing
- Evocative and richly detailed, capturing the sweeping landscapes and the delicate intricacies of both music and human connection.
- The arc
- Moves from the quiet predictability of a settled life into a sweeping, mysterious, and increasingly dangerous awakening.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love sweeping historical fiction that blends atmospheric travelogues with the quiet beauty of music and unexpected romance.
Content notes
- colonialism
- war themes
- peril
About the book
"In October 1886, Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the British War Office: he must leave his wife and his quiet life in London to travel to the jungles of Burma, where a rare Erard grand piano is in need of repair. The piano belongs to an army surgeon-major whose unorthodox peacemaking methods - poetry, medicine, and now music - have brought a tentative quiet to the southern Shan States but have elicited questions from his superiors.".
"On his journey through Europe, the Red Sea, India, and into Burma, Edgar meets soldiers, mystics, bandits, and talespinners, as well as an enchanting woman as elusive as the surgeon-major. And at the doctor's fort on a remote Burmese river, Edgar encounters a world more mysterious and dangerous than he ever could have imagined."--BOOK JACKET.
Description from Open Library.
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